TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Disability Awareness

Turning the Tables: Tokyo Restaurant Simulates the Disabled Experience for Nondisabled Diners

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Wheelchair users sitting around a table in a restaurant with very low ceilings.

A Japanese restaurant has embarked on a social experiment – by attempting to reverse the positions of wheelchair users and nondisabled people. The restaurant, named “Barrierful” in Japanese, offers nondisabled people the opportunity to experience barriers as part of a minority, which will hopefully provoke discussions about disabilities and inclusion.

Among the barriers faced by nondisabled patrons are low ceilings (just five and a half feet tall), no seating areas and a buffet station set low to the floor for wheelchair access. In this experiment, the majority of customers and staff in the restaurant were wheelchair users, indicating to nondisabled guests that design is biased toward the majority.

OUR TAKE: This restaurant experiment can help to create awareness about how designing for the majority causes problems for minority groups. Perhaps experiences such as this could encourage the adoption of universal design principles, which creates access for all.

To read more about the Barrierful restaurant, click here.

Disabled People Speak Out About Accessible Travel — Here’s What They Said (and what they’re looking for)

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Wheelchair user at the beach.

John Morris, founder of Wheelchair Travel and a member of the TravelAbility Advisory Board, recently published the results of a wide-ranging survey he conducted on accessible travel. Referenced by Expedia’s “Breaking Down Barriers to Travel Report,” Wheelchair Travel’s 2020 Accessible Travel Study included more than 700 participants, 90% of whom have a disability of their own.

The survey sought to better understand the travel patterns of disabled people, and to identify ways that travel providers could better serve those who have accessibility needs.

An important finding that destinations should pay particular attention to found that 81% of disabled travelers said that accessibility was an important factor in selecting a vacation destination. 50% said it was the “most important” consideration.

The report referenced TravelAbility’s campaign to promote the development of Accessible Travel Landing Pages on CVB and DMO websites. When asked to identify which types of information should appear on those pages, 84% said accessible lodging, 74% said accessible restaurants and 73% said accessible museums and attractions.

OUR TAKE: As the study reveals, there is tremendous opportunity for destinations to attract disabled visitors – 87% of whom travel with at least one other person. With the pent-up demand for travel, extending a welcome mat to disabled people can be an important revenue-driver in the post-pandemic recovery.

To read the full study, click here.

Grandma of the Year Builds Wheelchair Ramps Using Legos

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Wheelchair going up a ramp made of lego blocks.
Image courtesy REUTERS.

Rita Ebel, a 62-year-old wheelchair user (and grandmother!) living in Hanau, Germany, has devised a unique way to bring accessibility to her town’s shops, restaurants and salons. Using hundreds of lego bricks and glue, Rita builds ramps that make it possible for wheelchair users to enter businesses.

“For me it is just about trying to sensitise the world a little bit to barrier-free travel,” she told Reuters. The colorful ramps are easy to spot, and they are creating interest in accessibility.

Rita’s idea is being exported to other countries – groups from Austria, Spain, Switzerland and the United States have asked for ramp building instructions. It might not be long before a colorful lego ramp appears in your neighborhood!OUR TAKE: Accessibility can often be achieved with limited investment, and some businesses are just a bag of legos short from becoming wheelchair accessible. Rita’s clever idea has attracted international attention and started a discussion about the importance of basic access. Way to go, Rita!

To read more about Rita’s wheelchair ramps, click here.

Athlete with Down Syndrome Finishes Iron Man Competition

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Chris Nikic in Ironman uniform.

21-year-old Chris Nikic recently set a Guinness World Record, becoming the first person with Down Syndrome to finish the Iron Man Competition in its 42-year history. The triathlon requires athletes to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run a 26.2-mile marathon. Nikic completed the tasks in 16 hours, 46 minutes and 9 seconds.

Chris’s dad told the BBC that “this race was more than just a finish line and celebration of victory” for his son. He continued, “Ironman has served as his platform to become one step closer to his goal of living a life of inclusion, normalcy, and leadership. It’s about being an example to other kids and families that face similar barriers, proving no dream or goal is too high… If Chris can do an Ironman, he can do anything.”

To read more about Chris Nikic’s world record race from the Good News Network, click here.

Explorable Releases 7 Podcast Episodes That Should Be On Your Playlist

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Earlier this year, TravelAbility partnered with Design Sensory to release the new “Explorable” Podcast, a podcast about travel, disability and inclusion.

Explorable is co-hosted by Josh Loebner, disability advocate and Director of Strategy at marketing agency Designsensory, and Toby Willis, Senior Product Manager at Expedia Group. Josh and Toby are both blind, members of the TravelAbility Advisory Board and, most importantly, obsessed with everything about accessible travel.

Each podcast features guests who are advocates and allies of tourism, destinations and disability who discuss how they’re traveling the world, the obstacles they face, and how we can change it for the better to make each journey more explorable.

Episode 1: John Morris, Founder, WheelchairTravel.org

In this episode, Josh and Toby welcome the founder of WheelchairTravel.org, John Morris, a triple amputee, wheelchair user, explorer and global advocate for diversity and inclusion.

photo of Jake Steinman

Episode 2: Jake Steinman, Founder, TravelAbility Summit

In episode 2, we hear from the founder of TravelAbility Summit, Jake Steinman. The TravelAbility Summit is the tourism industry’s premier event for disability insights and a resource for tips, training and information connecting destinations with disability. Find out how Jake unexpectedly connected with disabled travelers and why he launched the summit.

Rosemarie Rosetti headshot.

Episode 3: Rosemarie Rosetti, Ph.D. talks about accessible design

In episode 3, Rosemarie Rossetti, PhD, joins Josh and Toby to talk about universal design. Find out what it is, why it’s important to travel and tourism, and learn some simple steps to bring universal design into your home, hotel or business. Rosemarie is a powerful, internationally known speaker, trainer, consultant and author of the Universal Design Toolkit. She built, and lives in, the Universal Design Living Laboratory.

Craig Kennedy headshot.

Episode 4: Craig Kennedy, Program Coordinator and Lead Trainer at Open Doors Organization

We’ve got a high-impact, high-energy episode with Craig Kennedy, who will share loads of powerful data and positive stories of disability inclusion. Listen and find out why tourism organizations, airlines, large corporations and others across the globe turn to the Open Doors Organization to reach and serve the disability market through research, training and guidance.

JoAnna Hunt headshot.

Episode 5: JoAnna Hunt, Manager, Kindle Accessibility Engineering Team, Amazon

In this episode of Explorable, Amazon’s Manager of the Kindle Accessibility Engineering Team, JoAnna Hunt, shares personal stories and the powerful commitment to e-reader accessibility.

Mark Jones headshot.

Episode 6: Mark Jones, Manager, Accessibility and Guest Services, Walt Disney World

How explorable is Walt Disney World for people with disabilities? Find out about the accessibility innovations and disability commitments at the Walt Disney World Resort from Mark Jones, Manager of Accessibility and Services for Guests with Disabilities. Mark shares how his personal ties to disability and a college internship at Walt Disney World led him on an amazing journey to the most magical place on earth.

Verity & Veronica headshots.

Episode 7: Verity Ayling-Smith & Veronica Velazquez discuss the 2020 Disability Inclusion Travel Report

Verity Ayling-Smith, Training and Consultancy Advisor with the Leonard Cheshire Organization and Veronica Velazquez, Senior Manager, Inclusion & Diversity at Expedia Group, discuss their connections to disability and key insights from the just released disability inclusion travel report Breaking Barriers in Travel.